Friday, 8 February 2013

Burt Munro and The World's fastest Indian

Jackie and I went right down to the bottom of New Zealand’s south island and headed to 105 Bainfield Road. Why? This is where the legendary Burt Munro built his motorcycles in a simple shed. Now containing a family home, the small piece of land once was also home to a lemon tree....

Many readers of my blog will understand what this is about, but some will not.

Burt Munro was an eccentric New Zealander who at 60 years old broke the land speed record on a 40 year old motorcycle with an original top speed of 55mph. The first time he took his motorcycle to Speed Week, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, he broke the record at 179mph. His story was captured in a wonderful film, The World’s Fastest Indian. Motorcyclist or not, If you haven’t seen the film, it is simple – you must.

After Burt suffered a stroke, he sold his motorcycles to a local motorcycle fanatic. The bikes are kept at E.Hayes hardware store on Dee Street in Invarcargill, the town where Burt lived.

This is a replica of Burt’s record breaking bike, with its full slipstream shell....

One of Burt’s record breaking bikes....

Those that have seen the film, will no doubt remember Burt’s trailer that he moved his motorcycle around on. Here is the real trailer....

Burt had a set of shelves in his shed, where he kept the parts he hand-made for his bikes. With the words “Offerings to the God of speed” written on the edge of one of the shelves, I am not sure if the shelves were real, or made for the film. Either way, the shelves are now located in the hardware shop.

In addition to Burt Munro’s motorcycles, the store contains many other historical bikes and a few cars. It is quite a place and unlike any hardware store I have ever seen....

Finally, we went to see Burt’s grave in Invarcargill’s Eastern Cemetery....

Hi Gary,You're really cramming in the activities so far and how wonderful you got to see traces of Burt. I've never been to the annual memorial races down there but the beach race in particular must be a sight to see.

Greetings from us on tour in sunny Tasmania - we saw the smoke from bush fires as soon as we landed yesterday!

Richard – Jackie drooled over the T-bird. As hardware stores go, this is the best I am ever likely to see.

Trobairitz – It was one of my favourites as well. A great feel-good movie.

Geoff – Cramming it in is right! Poor Jackie – I think I have worn her out. I hope the two of you have a great time in Tasmania and watch out for those fires. Seeing Invarcargill was an unexpected treat and going to see some of the places where Burt had lived and worked was terrific.

Oz – I had to smile when I saw the trailer, It is funny how something so simple can be so memorable.

A great post this is. I appreciate the fact that it highlights on a number of things that interest me like motorcycle tires. My eyes never avoid anything to do with bikes, hence my street bike which I wish every rider would have..

I totally loved the video Gary. I also have to mention that this is a great blog for motorcyclist. I care about comfortable and relaxed motorcycle rides and i find this blog really informative. Michelin Motorcycle Tire

It is the best hardware shop in the world.The best time to visit is the end of November when the Burt Munro Challenge annual festival is on including six races(beach race,hill climb,supercross,circuit race,speedway,street race) over four days.Check out http://www.burtmunrochallenge.com/This is one of the great motorcycle events. I went for the first time in 2013 and have already booked for 2014.This is a must do.

Hi John - It is very nice to hear from you. To many of my readers, your Dad Burt Munro was a real hero. Not just as a motorcyclist, but as a man. It is very rewarding to hear the film accurately portrayed him. Best wishes, Gary.

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What is this blog about?

This blog was originally started to record a five month, 21000 mile tour of the US on my Harley-Davidson. I continue to use this blog to record my own motorcycling adventures, wherever they may be, along with my thoughts and opinions about motorcycling generally.

About Me

Having devoted most of my adult life to being a ‘company man’, the transition to the next phase of my life away from the construction industry was always going to include some challenges. Planning and then making my dream trip to explore America on my Harley-Davidson proved to be the ideal vehicle for clearing my mind of old ways of thinking and being. I rode 21,475 miles, in 27 US states in four-and-a-half months.
My motorcycling trips have continued, with journeys across much of Europe, New Zealand, North Africa and Cuba.
A few years ago, I set up and now run Tour1, which takes riders on Harley-Davidson Authorised tours across Europe. See www.tour1.co.uk.
I live just north of London in the UK.

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US Tour - My Favourites Places I Went To....

It is difficult to choose, but here is my list of the highlights of my US tour, in the order I saw them in....